LALÙ
Lara Rocchetti & Luisa Sala
First and foremost, Lalù stands for the combination of La and Lu, Lara and Luisa, two young women from Turin without any rural roots. They both met while studying at the University of Gastronomic Science near Bra in Piedmonte. Taking advantage of their proximity to the Langhe region's slopes, Lara and Luisa developed their wine enthusiasm by visiting an extensive amount of wine producers during their time in University.
After some time abroad working for wineries in South Africa and Argentina, Lara and Luisa moved back to Italy and settled in La Morra with a strong idea to set up their own "Azienda Agricola", aka domain.
While working for a local cantina, Lara and Luisa bought and planted their first vineyard Roncaglie in La Morra in 2015. They also took advantage of this time to sharpen their vinification knowledge with two consecutive harvests spent in Burgundy, first with Mr Dominique Lafon and second year with Mme Cécile Tremblay.
Azienda Agricola Lalù was finally established in 2019 with a small winery located in Serralunga d'Alba just on time to vinify their first vintage on their own.
First and foremost, Lalù stands for the combination of La and Lu, Lara and Luisa, two young women from Turin without any rural roots. They both meet while studying at the University of Gastronomic Science near Bra in Piedmonte. Taking advantage of their proximity to the Langhe region's slopes, Lara and Luisa developed their wine enthusiasm by visiting an extensive amount of wine producers during their time in University.
After some time abroad working for wineries in South Africa and Argentina, Lara and Luisa moved back to Italy and settled in La Morra with a strong idea to set up their own "Azienda Agricola", aka domain.
While working for a local cantina, Lara and Luisa bought and planted their first vineyard Roncaglie in La Morra in 2015. They also took advantage of this time to sharpen their vinification knowledge with two consecutive harvests spent in Burgundy, first with Mr Dominique Lafon and second year with Mme Cécile Tremblay.
Azienda Agricola Lalù was finally established in 2019 with a small winery located in Serralunga d'Alba just on time to vinify their first vintage on their own.
Lalù grow both Nebbiolo and Barbera vines and farm on three different plots.
RONCAGLIE (Municipality of La Morra)
Vineyard owned and planted by Lalù in 2015, due to the young age of the vines they cannot use it to make Barolo yet, instead they make Langhe Nebbiolo for the moment.
From the geological period of Tortonian, the soil is made of Laminated Sant’Agata Fossil Marl (7 million yeard old) with outcrop of La Morra conglomerates (6.3 million years olds).
East facing, laying at an altitude of 400 meters providing great wind conditions to ensure healthy vegetation and grapes bunches as well as slow late ripening. Vines seats on a greyish white soil largely with shallow calcareous clay loam texture. Vineyard is mainly cultivated on a “laminated” Sant’Agata Fossil Marl that ensure a great water retention, as well as presences of stones coming from a later geological formation, known as La Morra Conglemorates.
BUSSIA (Monforte d'Alba)
From the geological period of Tortonian, the soil is made of Sandy Sant’Agata Fossil Marl (10 million years old).
The vineyard is located at an altitude of 320 meters above sea level, with west and southwest exposition, it’s just between sub-area of Bussia Arnulfo and Bricco San Pietro. The altitude allows big variation in seasonal temperature ranges. The combination of the valley and high hills provides high levels of heat accumulation as well as a smaller wind influence during summertime. The vines grow mainly on "sandy" Sant’Agata Fossil Marl, a formation of marine origin marked by marls with higher sand content than other types of Sant'Agata Marl.
LE COSTE DI MONFORTE (Monforte d'Alba)
From the geological period of Tortonian, the soil is made of Sandy Sant’Agata Fossil Marl (10 million years old).
With an average altitude of 420 m this south facing vineyard is the highest and further to the south of Monforte crus. Border by Alta Langa and parallel to Gavarini, Ginestra and Mosconi. The altitude allows great wind conditions great to prevent vines and grapes from any disease as well as insuring late ripening. The vines grow mainly on "sandy" Sant’Agata Fossil Marl, a formation of marine origin marked by marls with higher sand content than other types of Sant'Agata Marl.
For their first vintage in 2019 they produced around 5,000 bottles but once all vineyards become productive, they expected a total production of 20,000 bottles.
Every vintage is different and so is the harvest, Lara and Luisa try to adapt their vinification technic to the specificity of every single harvest.
At Lalu each vineyard is vinified separately in order to reflect each specific characteristic. Part of the harvest is whole closter another part is destemmed and on a small proportion have their peduncle removed by hand leaving berries only with pedicel. Such technique allowing benefits of whole cluster without a prominent stem taste.
Needless to say, that all grapes are moved by grapes in order to retain the grapes original quality.
Using natural yeast, Lara and Luisa usually start fermentation with the help of “pied de cuve”.
Barbera d'Alba: Grapes coming from Monforte vineyard vinified in concrete tanks with a given percentage of stems. Wine is firstly aged in Austrian oak barrel then later in barrique for approximately eight months.
Langhe Nebbiolo: Made from grapes coming from Monforte as well as the young wine of La Morra. Each vineyard is vinified separately in concrete tanks and later blended together in Austrian Oak barrels for 8 months.
Barolo Le Coste di Monforte: Grapes are vinified in an Austrian oak vat, and, depending on the vintage, they prolong the maceration at the end of fermentation using the submerged cap technique. Later the wine is aged in Austrian oak barrels.
Every vintage is different and so is the harvest, Lara and Luisa try to adapt their vinification technic to the specificity of every single harvest.
At Lalu each vineyard is vinified separately in order to reflect each specific characteristic. Part of the harvest is whole closter another part is destemmed and on a small proportion have their peduncle removed by hand leaving berries only with pedicel. Such technique allowing benefits of whole cluster without a prominent stem taste.
Needless to say, that all grapes are moved by grapes in order to retain the grapes original quality.
Using natural yeast, Lara and Luisa usually start fermentation with the help of “pied de cuve”.
Barbera d'Alba: Grapes coming from Monforte vineyard vinified in concrete tanks with a given percentage of stems. Wine is firstly aged in Austrian oak barrel then later in barrique for approximately eight months.
Langhe Nebbiolo: Made from grapes coming from Monforte as well as the young wine of La Morra. Each vineyard is vinified separately in concrete tanks and later blended together in Austrian Oak barrels for 8 months.
Barolo Le Coste di Monforte: Grapes are vinified in an Austrian oak vat, and, depending on the vintage, they prolong the maceration at the end of fermentation using the submerged cap technique. Later the wine is aged in Austrian oak barrels.
REGION OF PRODUCTION
Piedmont - Italy
APPELLATION
Barolo, Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera d'Alba
FOUNDED
2019
VINEYARD
3.5 hectares
CLIMATE
Mediterranean climate
SOIL COMPOSITION
Tortonian soil (clay, sand, limestone)
VARIETIES GROWN
Barbera, Nebbiolo
AGRICULTURE
Organic